If you pop on an episode of “Westworld” or “True Blood,” you might see a familiar face: Louis Herthum, the actor who played Deputy Andy Broom in season 8 through 12 of “Murder, She Wrote.” Deputy Broom appeared in latter seasons as the assistant to new sheriff Mort Metzger (Ron Masak), and (remarkably, given the Cabot Cove death rate) he made it out of the series alive.
Louisiana-born actor Herthum was only in his 30s when he appeared on “Murder, She Wrote,” and he’s had a prolific acting career since. Aside from playing robot protagonist Dolores’ father Peter in “Westworld” and werewolf pack leader J.D. in “True Blood,” Herthum has also recently starred in shows like Apple’s “Home Before Dark,” A&E Western “Longmire,” and Prime Video’s “The Peripheral.” He’s also acted in films including “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Last Exorcism,” and “The Mist.”
Herthum is also the president and founder of Ransack Films, a Louisiana-based production company with credits including “The Rain Makers,” “Favorite Son,” and “The Ghost.” Herthum also worked with Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker on the 2018 Biggie and Tupac film “City of Lies,” which he says fell through the cracks because of “some kind of legal issue.”
With 25 appearances as Andy under his belt, Herthum became friendly with Lansbury over the years. He memorialized the actress in a piece of writing shared by the New York Post in October, reminiscing about a time she reassured a flustered guest star and revealing that the pair kept in touch via email over the years. “She was always so down-to-earth,” Herthum wrote. “I can’t tell you how many people said they used to see her in Whole Foods all the time, doing her own shopping and talking to people. She never demanded star treatment.”